Town of West Seneca Youth Engaged in Service New Volunteer Orientation Guide Important Information: Youth & Recreation Department Office Phone Number: 674-6086 Program Email: wsyes@twsny.org Program Information is available on the Town of West Seneca Website www.westseneca.net Go to Department & Services Scroll down to Youth Engaged in Service Welcome to the Town of West Seneca s Youth Engaged in Service Program! You have joined an elite group of dedicated & committed youth adults who want to make a positive difference to their community. Youth Engaged in Service provides all of you, our members the opportunity to get involved through volunteerism. Being a member of this program is fun, enjoyable & definitely worthwhile. We do these orientations to let you know what we expect from you during your membership. Y.E.S. is a volunteer program for students ages 12-18. Y.E.S. stands for Youth Engaged in Service, people will ask you this! We have a great reputation with the agencies & the community we serve and they like us because we bring polite, well behaved & engaged volunteers. We ask that you be social at every activity, hence Youth Engaged in Service. We want you to be social with your fellow members as well as the people/agencies you are volunteering for. If you do, it will be more enjoyable for you and them! Remember you are there to participate in the activity or event that you signed up for so please be involved. This program is an excellent way to get your service hours for school (PIG, NHS, KEY CLUB, Academies) as well as confirmation classes and for college. More and more schools are requesting students do community service and this is a great program for that as we do the work of finding the opportunities and all you have to do is sign up & participate! YES serves as the middleman for agencies and organizations that are in need of volunteers. Always respect the population we are working with & remember to act appropriately. Bring a positive attitude and friendly smile to all events. We ask that you be social to the populations we work with. Please don t just sit there and not participate. If your behavior is unacceptable, you may be asked to leave. We want this experience to be as exciting and fun for you as possible, so please do not put yourself in a position to not be involved with the program. A monthly calendar of activities and descriptions will be published each month on the Town of West Seneca website on/around the 25 th of the previous month and is also emailed to you. Please make sure you have a valid & current email address as the majority of communication done with the Program Coordinator is through email. You will need to check your email or go to the Town of West Seneca website, www.westseneca.net. Go to Department & Services then scroll to the Youth Engaged in Service (Y.E.S.) Program. The direct website is www.westseneca.net/index.php?q=yes The information that is emailed to you includes the calendar and description sheet. Page 1 of 7
Y.E.S. works on a first come first serve basis. As soon as you get your calendar, send an email to wsyes@twsny.org with your choices for the month. Please include your name in the email. If you want a specific activity then sign up immediately. Some activities only need a certain number of volunteers and some fill up quickly. Once you have sent in your choices, you will receive a confirmation email if your choices were accepted or not. You need to receive a confirmation email prior to going to any activity. Please do not just show up to any activity without approval. Due to the limited amount of hours the program coordinator can work, please allow a few days for a confirmation email. You can sign up for whatever activities fit into your schedule. That s the beauty of this program there is not minimum number of hours or activities required. You are encouraged to participate in at least one activity a month to remain active. If you know your schedule is full for a particular month, just shoot us an email saying that you can t volunteer right now, but will when available. If several months go by with no participation or communication your status may be affected and you can be subject to removal of our mailing list. Be on time for all events. You will need to provide your own transportation to every activity. The Advisory Board is made up of several young adults who have been in the program for a minimum of two years and who are at least a sophomore in High School. They help plan & implement events as well as help facilitate some activities. If you enjoy being in Y.E.S. and you fit the qualifications and would like to be on the Advisory Board, please let the Program Coordinator know. All cell phones are to be put away during activities & events. Remember that you are a representative of the Town of West Seneca s Youth Engaged in Service Program and you need to take your role seriously. No cell phone use is allowed during an activity unless we give you the OK. You can use them to notify your parents or in an emergency situation. The provided program T-shirt is to be worn at all Y.E.S. activities. If there is a specific dress code for an event, it will be stated in the description for that activity. Please come dressed for the activity appropriately: no stomachs showing or no ripped clothing. Please keep your program T-shirt as you receive it & dress comfortably for all the events. If you are sick and signed up an activity, please cancel. A good rule of thumb is if you cannot make it to school, you should not go to an activity. Please be sure to contact the program office either via email or telephone to inform the program director. If you need to cancel an activity you are signed up for please call the Recreation Department Office before 5 o clock. Things happen at the last minute sometimes, but please try to reach out to the Youth & Recreation office, do not be a no-show. Some activities require a certain number of volunteers and if you call early enough and cancel arrangements can be made to find someone to take your spot but if you don t show up, then we are shorthanded. Parents are to walk their children into an event. Parents are to pick their child up from inside the event. Parents are welcome and encouraged to stay at any event. Please no do transport, move or pickup any participants at any event. This includes nursing home events. Do not move nursing home residents from chair to chair, chair to bed, bed to chair, etc. Please do not push residents in their wheelchair. Page 2 of 7
YES procedures for BINGO at area nursing homes Remember the demographic that you are working with & that not every resident is going to be having a good day. If they are not being very welcoming to you, the more polite & kind you are to them, the happier they will be! Assist the resident by helping them cover the correct numbers on their BINGO cards & by calling out their numbers when they win If you are the one calling the game, make sure you do so in a clear & loud voice, but not yelling Repeat the numbers (O 63, O. 6. 3.) so they all understand what number was called In your head, count to 5 before calling the next number giving enough time in between for them to find the number on the board When someone get s BINGO, whoever is sitting closest to them will read their numbers off one at a time & the caller will confirm each number Do not lift, assist or move the resident in anyway. DO NOT just sit there with your arms crossed. Be a part of the activity! Each facility is different with the order or style of BINGO s they play as well as payouts. The staff at the facility should let you know what they are Remember that you are there to assist the residence and to have fun! The more engaged you are the more fun it will be. Page 3 of 7
Volunteer Application Town of West Seneca Youth Engaged in Service (Y.E.S.) Program Please completely fill out this application, including policies and return it to: Town of West Seneca Youth & Recreation Department Attention: Y.E.S. Program 1250 Union Road West Seneca, NY 14224 Today s Date: OFFICAL USE ONLY Processed: Name: Address: City: Zip: Phone (Home): Date of Birth: (Cell): Age: (members must be 12-18 years old) School: Current Grade: E-mail address: Father s name: Mother s name: Guardian (if not parent): Volunteer Experience (if any): Hobbies & Skills: Reason for Volunteering: Are you under any medical care/medication: Y / N If yes, explain In case of emergency, contact: Name: Address: Phone :(1) (2) Relationship to Volunteer: Page 4 of 7
Youth Engaged in Service Policies These policies may change without notice Failure to abide by any policies set in place could result in the removal from the Youth Engaged in Service Program 1. I understand no direct supervision of my child will be provided. Parents are welcome and encouraged to stay for the event. 2. Volunteers will attend all of the activities they sign up for 3. In the event that I cannot attend a previously scheduled activity, I will notify the program staff within 24 hours of the event to avoid disciplinary action, including but not limited to removal from the program 4. Volunteers will be punctual, dependable, follow instructions, show initiative and act appropriately at all times. This includes using appropriate language 5. Volunteers will always treat volunteer work seriously and dress appropriately. Volunteers should wear the program t-shirt provided at orientation to every activity unless otherwise stated 6. Volunteers will always display sensitivity in handling certain issues and show maturity at all activities. Remember you are representing the Y.E.S program and the Town of West Seneca 7. To be a Y.E.S. member in good standing, you must attend at least one activity each calendar month. If you are unavailable to attend any activities, you must notify the program director to avoid becoming inactive. a. After 2 months of inactivity, your membership will be terminated b. After 2 no-shows your active status will be revoked & membership terminated. We need to be able to rely on you. 8. All Y.E.S. members will treat each others, the directors, agencies we serve and population they are serving with the utmost respect, kindness and pleasant manner 9. As a representative of the Y.E.S. Program, I must always set a good example and refrain from using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs YES Member Signature Date MUST BE COMPLETED BY PARENT OR GAURDIAN OF Y.E.S. MEMBER I, (Parent/Guardian) verify that (Volunteer Name) has my permission to participate in YES activities & will abide by the policies mentioned above. I accept full responsibility for the transportation of my child. I understand the possibility of injury or harm associated with the participation of Youth Engaged in Service, Town of West Seneca & any of its affiliates and hereby release, discharge or indemnity the organizations mentioned above against any claim by or on behalf of the persons mentioned in this application. I hereby grant permission for my child(s) name, image, & voice to be used by the Town of West Seneca and/or affiliates for purposes in any media or promotional materials. Parent/Guardian Signature Date Page 5 of 7
Release from Liability As parent/guardian of (child s name), (my child ) who will be participating in the Town of West Seneca Youth & Recreation activities, I hereby agree as follows: I assume full responsibility for, and total risk of, any injury, loss or damages (including injury to person or loss of property)sustained by me and/or my Child on the premises of Town of West Seneca as a result of my Child s participation in a program, event or class. I further release The Town of West Seneca their affiliates and their directors, officers, employees, staff members, instructors, agents, independent contractors, volunteers and representatives (the Releasees ) from any claim whatsoever resulting from my Child s participation in this program, event or class or on account of first aid treatment, emergency medical services or other services rendered to me or my Child during my Child s participation in this activity. I hereby release, waive and forever discharge Releasees, from all liability to me, my Child, my spouse (if any), our respective legal representatives, heirs and assigns and any person claiming through or under myself or my Child of and from any and all present and future claims, demands, damages, actions or rights of action, whether legal or in equity, arising from or by reason of any bodily injury or personal injuries known or unknown, loss or theft of personal property or property damage that may occur as a result of my Child s participation in this activity with The Town of West Seneca. I HEREBY ASSUME ALL RISK RELATED TO MY PARTICIPATION OR MY CHILD S PARTICIPATION IN THIS ACTIVITY AND RELEASE AND FOREVER DISCHARGE THE TOWN OF WEST SENECA AND ITS AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, VOLUNTEERS AND/OR STAFF FROM ANY RESPONSIBILITY, LIABILITY OR LOSS SUFFERED IN CONNECTION WITH THIS ACTIVITY. I understand and accept these responsibilities. I understand and agree to abide by the Release from Liability, Town of West Seneca program and/or facility regulations, program rules and the Refund & On Site Policies. Parent/ Legal guardian s Name (print) Date Parent/Legal Guardian s Name (sign) Date: Consent for Medical Treatment As the parent or legal guardian of the above named minor, I hereby give consent for emergency medical care prescribed by a duly licensed Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Dentistry. This care may be given under whatever conditions are necessary to preserve the life, limb or well-being of my dependent. Parent/ Legal guardian s Name (print) Date Parent/Legal Guardian s Name (sign) Date: Photography and Video Policy I authorize The Town of West Seneca Recreation Department to take photographs and video footage of my child/ children while he/she is participating in any programs being run by West Seneca Recreation. I understand these photographs and video footage will be used for marketing purposes, West Seneca Recreation Department Bulletins, West Seneca Recreation Brochures, postings on the West Seneca Recreation Department website, seen on TV s in local businesses, You Tube and other social networking sites. Parent/ Legal guardian s Name (print) Date Parent/Legal Guardian s Name (sign) Date Page 6 of 7
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